See, now that’s another underrated part of live music: how it can cause a ripple effect for like-minded souls to connect. And heck, maybe even prompt the formation of an exciting new band. Such is the case with promising but slightly mysterious Amsterdam mathcore/noise-punk adventurers a fungus: its members met at a show by the late great SOPHIE during Amsterdam Dance Event.
Latest single “Mark’s Bag” shows a more chipper side to the band, a sweet departure from the more unhinged Slint-adjacent leanings of debut single “Trace/Health“. Starting off with splintered breaks and screeching guitars, “Mark’s Bag” in its essence sounds like a more warped version of a pop-punk anthem. The song completely takes off near the end, with tense guitar harmonies bordering on hysteria, but eventually, snowballing into a big euphoric discharge. Fans of Unwound and Dismemberment Plan can surely rejoice.
“It’s a light-hearted, slightly humoristic tune,” singer/guitarist Max Ten Oever explains. “The protagonist buys stuff for himself that he likes showing off to his friends. But he’s a bit of a dud, so he’s trying to fill his bag with material things. He enjoys collecting things.” Additionally to releasing “Mark’s Bag”, a fungus have announced their debut EP it already does that via Dutch imprint Subroutine Records (who have released early recordings by Dutch exports such as Rats on Rafts, Personal Trainer, Kidbug, and The Homesick). The exact release date is still unknown.
Listen to “Mark’s Bag” below.
Follow a fungus on Instagram, Spotify and Bandcamp. The band also recorded a cool live session for Le Guess Who? and Dutch platform Front in 2020.
